How
Were These Maps Made?
All
the maps in this exhibit are printed.
The
mapmaker, also called a cartographer, drew an original map. Then it was
copied onto a wood block, copper plate or special lithographic stone, from
which it could be printed on paper.
Many
of these maps first appeared in atlases, or books of maps. Except for a map in the exhibit from Lett's Atlas, all the colors were added by
hand after the map was printed.
G. Sanson printed this map in Paris in 1669. Titled
Amerique Septrionale (North America), it is a revision of a 1650
map by Nicholas Sanson d'Abbeville. The earlier map was the first to show
all five Great Lakes. This is the oldest map in the exhibit.
What's
Cool About Maps? features 29 maps from the collection of the Jesse
Besser Museum, Alpena, Michigan. The exhibit was at the Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing, Michigan, during the fall of 2001.
This
online minitour of the exhibit features one map from each of seven
themes. Visit each of the themes by clicking on the titles in the left
column. The map images were photographed under existing light
conditions in the gallery. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image.
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